The present invention relates to printer ribbons and cartridges and an improvement thereof for re-inking the ribbons and cartridges and a method for so re-inking including a system to inform a printer user when re-inking is necessary. The following describes existing technologies for printer ribbons and methods available to users of the ribbons for re-inking.
Spooled Ribbons PA0 Cartridge Ribbon with Continuous Loop and Ink Reservoir PA0 Cartridge Ribbon-Continuous Loop-Without Ink Reservoir with Internal Drive Gears or Rollers PA0 Cartridge Ribbon-Continuous Loop-Without Ink Reservoir with External Drive Gears or Rollers PA0 Processing Time, Skill and Equipment Requirements PA0 Ink Depletion and Lubricating Effect Between Printhead and Ribbon Substrate PA0 Printout Consistency PA0 Re-Inking Accuracy PA0 Convenience and Cleanliness PA0 Extended Printer Life PA0 Cost, Energy, Petroleum and Landfill Benefits Compared to Prior Art
These ribbons consist of a band or ribbon of a substrate, usually a woven nylon cloth, saturated with ink, wound on one, or more commonly two, reels or "spools". During the printing operation, the ribbon unwinds and rewinds from spool to spool, reversing direction as it gets toward the end of the ribbon, by means of a switch which is actuated by an eyelet or bar attached to each end of the ribbon, or by means of tension created when the ribbon comes to the end of the spool.
As the ink in the ribbon becomes depleted, the print gets lighter and lighter. At this point, the ribbon is generally discarded, but can be re-inked on a re-inking machine such as the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker (patent pending).
The ribbon is removed from the printer and installed in the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker to be re-inked. Ink is added to a felt roller which comes into contact with the substrate. The ink is transferred to the substrate by means of capillary action. After adding ink to the roller and installing the ribbon, the machine is turned on and as the ribbon unwinds from one spool and rewinds to the other spool, a small amount of ink is applied to the substrate. When the ribbon is completely unwound/rewound, a switch is actuated which shuts the machine off. Now the user or operator removes the spools from the machine and re-installs them in reverse. Then the machine is turned on again. This process is repeated up to 15 times or more before the ribbon is adequately re-inked.
There are many drawbacks to this process.
The ink in every ribbon has a lubricating effect between the substrate and the printhead which can help to minimize abrasion. When the ink is depleted during use of the ribbon, the substrate soon becomes severely worn or damaged. Re-inking a ribbon in this condition can be difficult. Also, the ribbon could snag or tear in the printer causing loss of printouts, wasted computer time (the report would have to be re-run) and possible damage to the printer or printhead.
It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to measure how much ink is needed to obtain satisfactory yield and print quality from a ribbon which is re-inked on a MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker device. If you do not apply a sufficient quantity of ink, the yield will be poor and the ribbon will have to be removed from the printer again and re-inked in the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker more frequently. If you apply too much ink to the ribbon, it can cause streaking and smearing on the paper. This is such a common problem, that the manufacturer of the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker has included instructions on what to do if this occurs.
This system has no way of accurately measuring inking, is very time consuming and complicated, is prone to error by the user and can be very messy.
These ribbons come in many styles for different printers, although the basic concept and design is the same for all of them. The basic concept consists of a seamless or welded ribbon loop which is fanfolded or "stuffed" into the cartridge. The ribbon advances by means of a drive gear meshing with an idler gear, with the ribbon sandwiched between them. These internal drive gears which are built into the cartridge are driven by a mechanism in the printer which turns them, pulling the ribbon through the cartridge as it fanfolds at the same time.
The inker reservoir may consist of a felt or foam, roller or pad. The reservoir is in constant contact with the drive gear or idler gear. Ink is transferred from the reservoir to the gear(s) which in turn transfer(s) the ink to the substrate. When the ink in the reservoir is depleted, it cannot be refilled, so the ribbon is usually discarded. Re-inking the substrate or ribbon with an external re-inking device such as the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker, without refilling the reservoir, would only extend the life of the ribbon by 2% to 5%.
The ink in the ribbon has a lubricating effect between the substrate and the printhead, which helps to minimize abrasion. Since the length of this type of ribbon is generally very short in comparison to other types of ribbons, when the ink is depleted during initial use, the substrate can become severely worn or damaged very quickly. Re-inking a ribbon in this condition can be difficult. Also, the ribbon could snag or tear in the printer causing loss of printouts, wasted computer time (the report would have to be re-run) and possible damage to the printer or printhead.
This concept or design is similar to the one described directly above except that the substrate or ribbon is generally longer, it is usually a welded loop and it does not have any ink reservoir. Since there is no ink reservoir, the print yield may be less than shorter ribbons with an ink reservoir. When the ink in the ribbon is depleted, the ribbon is usually discarded and replaced.
These ribbons can be re-inked with devices such as the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker. The ribbon is removed from the printer and installed in a MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker which has a drive system similar to that in the printer. Ink is added to a felt roller or pad which comes into contact with the substrate. The ink is transferred to the substrate by means of capillary action. After adding ink and installing the ribbon, the machine is turned on and as the ribbon is pulled through and fanfolded into the cartridge a small amount of ink is applied to the substrate by means of contact to the external roller or pad.
There are many drawbacks to this process.
The ink in every ribbon has a lubricating effect between the substrate and the printhead which can help to minimize abrasion. When the ink is depleted during initial use of the ribbon, the substrate soon becomes severely worn or damaged. Re-inking a ribbon in this condition can be difficult. Also, the re-inked ribbon could snag or tear in the printer causing a loss of printouts, wasted computer time (the report would have to be re-run) and possible damage to the printer or printhead.
It is extremely difficult if not impossible, to measure the amount of ink needed to obtain satisfactory yield and print quality from a ribbon which is re-inked on a MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker device. If you do not apply a sufficient quantity of ink, the yield will be poor and the ribbon will have to be removed from the printer again and re-inked in the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker more frequently.
If you apply too much ink to the ribbon, it can cause streaking and smearing on the paper. Over-inking can also cause the drive gears to slip on the ribbon as they turn. As a result, the ribbon will not advance in the printer and will jam causing possible damage to the ribbon, printhead or printer. This is such a common problem that the manufacturer of the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker has included instructions on what to do if this occurs.
This system of re-inking provides no method of accurately measuring inking, is very time consuming and complicated, is prone to error by the user and can be very messy.
This concept or design is similar to the one described directly above except that the gears or rollers which pull the ribbon through and fanfold it into the cartridge are not built into the cartridge but are a part of the printer itself. There is an opening in the cartridge into which the drive gears or rollers fit when the ribbon cartridge is installed in the printer. As with other concepts, there are many different styles and variations of this design, but the basic concept is the same for all of them. When the ink in the ribbon is depleted, the ribbon is usually discarded and replaced.
These ribbons can be re-inked with a device such as the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker. The ribbon is removed from the printer and installed in a MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker which has a drive system similar to that in the printer. Ink is added to a felt roller or pad which comes into contact with the substrate and is transferred by means of capillary action. After adding ink and installing the ribbon, the machine is turned on and as the ribbon is pulled through and fanfolded into the cartridge a small amount of ink is applied to the substrate.
There are many drawbacks to this process.
The ink in every ribbon has a lubricating effect between the substrate and the printhead which can help to minimize abrasion. When the ink is depleted during the initial use of the ribbon, the substrate soon becomes severely worn or damaged. Also, the re-inked ribbon could snag or tear in the printer, causing a loss of printouts, wasted computer time (the report would have to be re-run) and possible damage to the printer or printhead.
It is extremely difficult, if not impossible to measure the amount of ink needed to obtain satisfactory yield and print quality from a ribbon which is re-inked on a MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker type device. If you do not apply a sufficient quantity of ink, the yield will be poor and the ribbon will have to be removed from the printer again and re-inked in the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker more frequently.
If you apply too much ink onto the ribbon, it can cause streaking and smearing on the paper. Over-inking can also cause the drive gears or rollers to slip on the ribbon as they turn. As a result, the ribbon will not advance in the printer and may cause jamming and possible damage to the ribbon, printer or printhead. This is such a common problem that the manufacturer of the MAC INKER.TM. automatic ribbon re-inker has included instructions on what to do if this occurs.
This system of re-inking provides no method of accurately measuring inking, is very time consuming and complicated, is prone to error by the user and can be very messy.
Parent application U.S. Ser. No. 07/640,641, filed Jan. 14, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,519, solved many of the aforementioned problem. However, even as to that improvement, simply providing an opening through the top of the cartridge above an ink retaining mass can have drawbacks. When a user applies too much ink, some ink may flow over the edge of the ink retaining mass and onto the ink transfer roller causing undesirable "hot spots". There can be a significant gap between the underside of the cartridge cover and the top of the ink pad or roller, even though they may actually appear to be in physical contact with each other. This gap is much greater than the size of the openings or pores in the ink retaining mass (pad or roller).
When ink is added to the pad or roller, it is absorbed very slowly. If the user adds surplus ink to the point that it touches the rim of the opening, the ink will follow the path of least resistance and flow horizontally between the pad or roller and the underside of the cover. Some of the ink will continue to flow on the underside of the cover and through any gap in the wall which separates the ink retaining mass (roller or pad) from the substrate. Some of the ink will be inadvertently deposited on random spots on the substrate causing hot spots and resulting in uneven printout. Other causes of hot spotting of ink can be:
1. accidental touching of the ink on the rim of the opening due to over applying the ink;
2. accidental touching of the tip of the bottle on the rim;
3. wiping action of the rotating ink retaining roller causing continual depositing of quantities of ink on the rim of the opening; and
4. migration of ink directly from the pad or roller due to touching of the pad or roller around the rim of the opening.
In contrast, when ink is properly transferred from the pad or roller by the roller means, the ink application is uniform or evenly distributed, i.e., no hot spots.